Fifth-wheel.



PATENTED DECPS C. A. WALTER. FIFTH WHEEL.

APPLICATIONIILBD JUNE 6. 1906. RENEWED 0019,1907;

* UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES A. WALTER, OF DUNOANNON, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO STANDARD NOVELTY WORKS, OF DUNOANNON, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

FIFTH-WHEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 3, 1907.

Application fil d June 6. 1906, Serial No. 320.428. Renewed October 9, 1907. Serial No. 396.660.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES A. WALTER,

a resident of Duncannon, Perry county,

Pennsylvania, and a citizen of the United States, have invented a new and useful Fifth-Vheel, of which the following is a specification.

Side and top bracing to fifth wheel construction is not only convenient but quite necessary in some types of wagon in order to protect the king bolt against shearing and against distortion by bending strain. This is particularly true in the construction of the small wagons used by children for express wagon and allied purposes. The wagon must of necessity be of light construction and yet is subjected to hard usage and irregular strains by reason of the inexperience and carelessness of the users. The popularity of coasting has added to the difficulty of successfully providing for all requirements by a light construction.

A further desideratum in childrens wagons particularly is the protection against accidental disengagement of the parts when in use in case of release of the king bolt or other pivot and fastening used as by the loss of the nut therefrom.

The purpose of my invention is to stiffen a fifth wheel construction particularly intended for small vehicles, to provide an annular guard as a support against other movements than'rotation, to restrict the insertion and removal of the fifth wheel by a protecting overhang-opening preferably at but a single point and at the same time to simplify the construction.

Figure 1 represents a top plan View of the lower bearing member of my fifth wheel and its support. Fig. 2 represents a cross section corresponding to the line acac, Fig. 1, showing an upper cooperating member. Fig. 3 represents a top plan view of lower and upper bearing members of the type shown in Fig. 2 without the upper brace. Fig. 4 represents a crosssection of Fig. 3 upon line y-y. Fig. 5 represents a section through the braces of a modified form of upper bearing. Fig. 6 represents an end elevation of a modification of Fig. 5 looking in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 5.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the figures.

Referring to the drawings :-1 designates the front axle of the vehicle with which my construction is intended to be used. Upon this axle rests a hollow brace 2 shown as of truss form and secured to the axle by bolts or rivets 3, 3 passing through blocks 4, 4. It will be' evident that the brace 2 might rest directly upon the axle if desired. The brace is bent at 5, 5 for the double purpose of making it effective as a truss and of lifting it away from the axle at the point of junction with the fifth wheel parts.

The truss forms a support for the lower member'6 of my fifth wheel construction which lower member is secured thereto by any suitable means, preferably by one or more rivets 7 through the bottom plate 8 of the lower member 6 in such position as not in any way to interfere with the use of this plate as the lower bearing plate upon which the upper member rests.

The lower member 6 comprises in addition to the bottom plate named, the upwardly directed preferably cylindrical side walls 9 and the inwardly directed overhang, shroud or guard 10 which is cut out to form an aperture 11 preferably circular in outline within which the upper member 12 is adapted to be passed so as to rest upon the pottom plate 8 and move beneath the overrang.

The upper member 12 is preferably formed as a pressed plate consisting of a central portion 13 apertured at 14 for the bearing and at 15, 15 for attachment to a brace and having depending edges 16 terminating in flange 17 which is preferably continuous throughout the edge except as the flange and the depending edge are cutaway suitably, as at 18, 18 upon either side of the tongue 19 in order to permit withdrawal of the plate from the lower member when the-tongue 19 has been lifted out of the opening 20 in the overhang 10. The depending edge and terminal flange 17 are present in the tongue 19 and, in crosssection to the center, this tongue is, therefore, of the same section as the major portion of the circumference of my plate.

In the forms shown in Figs. 5 and 6, I provide a bar or strip 21 preferably thicker at its center than at either end, providing a bearing portion in proximity to the center and having secured at its approximate center a cross-bar 22 which as shown, is fitted into a notch in the bar 21. The bar 22 ispreferably less than the size of the opening in the shroud or overhang 10 to permit the insertion of this bar at any point, and particularly when the end 23 of the bar 21 registers with the opening or interruption in the overhang. The end 24 of the bar 21 is preferably wider than the end 23 which latter is of such size as ust to pass within the interruption of the overhang, it being evident that the bar 21 and therefore, the upper member can be withdrawn from or inserted in the lower member when the end 23 registers with the opening or interruption 20 in the overhang and at this point only, the bar 21 being of a length but little less than the distance between th vertical walls 9.

In the form shown in Fig. 6, the bar 22 is shown as terminating in upwardly directed ends 25 which make contact with the insideof the overhang, that is the limiting edges of the opening 11 therein and act as guides or supports against excessive lateral strain or movement.

To each of the forms of my upper member which I have illustrated and described, I attach a brace of general tripod form having one leg 26 adapted for attachment to the wagon or vehicle body at a point in the rear of the pivotal point offmy bearing and having legs 27 adapted for attachment one upon each side of said pivotal point. The tripod is attached to the upper member in any suitable way as by rivets 28.

It will be evident that the upper member and the lower member also is capable of various other forms without departing from my invention and that the form of the brace, that is whether the legs or strips be independent or of one piece is immaterial to the carrying out of my invention.

In assembling my structure, I pass the larger end of my plate 13 or of the bar 21 within the opening 11 and insert the flange or end thereof beneath the overhang at a point opposite the opening or interruption 20 of said overhang. The end ,19 or 23 as the case may be, is then readily insertible Within the interruption to the overhang and can be inserted or withdrawn at this point only. This can readily be arranged so as to be done at a position of the wagon parts not ordinarily assumed in use.

The king bolt is passed through the aperof my structure may be made which will fall within my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a fifth wheel, a base plate, upwardly directed walls and an overhang inwardly extending from said walls and provided with a single aperture, in combination with an inverted pan-shaped member of greater length than the opening in the overhang and adapt ed to be seated upon said base plate directly beneath the overhang throughout a major part of the circumference.

2. In a fifth Wheel, a circular base plate, upwardly extending walls and an overhang inwardly extending from said walls and having a circular opening therein extended at one point to substantially the line of the upwardly extending walls, in combination with a member adapted to be seated upon the base plate and having one end of less and the other of greater width than the width of the opening in the extension in the overhang.

3. In a fifth wheel, 'a female bearing member provided with an inwardly directed overhang interrupted at one point, in combination with a male member adapted to extend beneath the overhang upon each side of the CHARLES A. WALTER.

Witnesses:

CLARA S. REUTTER,

H. D. REUTTER. 

